Case Study

PROBLEM

Our client, a large Canadian pension with hundreds of billions in AUM, asked DES to find a Principal for its “private markets risk management” group – a team whose role is to influence and advise on investment decisions and transaction opportunities on behalf of the organization.

The search committee was focused on finding candidates who were highly analytical and strong communicators, but did not want “traditional” investment risk professionals. Rather, our mandate was to put forth individuals who brought a rare combination of buyside investment experience and chartered accountant designations, together with a desire to move to the risk side. Notably, this team was not located in a “major market”, so we had to identify candidates who were mobile, which in most cases, meant moving provinces.

APPROACH

The search strategy was broad for this assignment, targeting candidates from investment professional and risk backgrounds within other pensions, along with those from insurance companies and merchant banks. In addition, we looked at individuals from accounting firms (TAS groups, primarily), investment banks and corporate development.

The search yielded a range of options, and our client was attracted to candidates who displayed good investment judgment, a well-honed “commercial risk management” perspective and a prior underpinning in transactions (ie: allowing them to establish credibility with investment professionals). Successful candidates displayed a strong grasp of the importance of risk management in the context of investment and asset management, with good problem-solving skills and an affable nature.